GameZone Gets a Peek at Game Factory's 2008 Lineup

Game Factory is well known for its Code Lyoko
video games, but they’ve got a slate of new properties – including an original
IP – headed to the Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii this fall. GameZone recently got
a peek at those games, which include a female-targeted puzzle game, the next
chapter in the Build-a-Bear franchise, a new addition to the Bratz Ponyz series,
the first Bratz Kidz Slumber Party game, and a new take on Rubik’s Cube.

Zenses Ocean and Zenses Rainforest (Nintendo
DS)

Damien Sarrazin, PR Manager of Game Factory, told
GameZone that Zenses is a different title for them because it’s not a licensed
product and is a concept they – and the game’s developer, Shin'en – developed
from the ground up. “It’s an original IP and is the beginning of a franchise for
us,” he says.

Zenses Rainforest

“This is, in a sense, a compilation of puzzle
games targeted at the female gamer. They’re addictive puzzle games throughout
with visuals and an ambient soundtrack. They’re relaxing games.”

Sarrazin noted how male players differ in their
gaming habits. Whereas men want to get excited and shoot something, he says,
female players “want games to take a break [from something else]…like they’re on
vacation.”

“The whole theme of Zenses,” he continues,
“covers the natural wonders of the world. In Ocean we have a set of six
different puzzle games that revolve around the theme of the sea and other
nautical things. In Rainforest we have six other puzzle games that revolve
around the theme of the rainforest. Visually you’ll see a lot of waterfalls,
lush vegetation, butterflies and all the natural elements you find when visiting
a rainforest.”

Regarding the developer behind Zenses – who is
best known for the addictive Nanostray series – Sarrazin believes they are
really good at maximizing the potential of the DS hardware. “In both versions of
Zenses you’ll see really beautiful graphics,” he says, referring to Zenses as
being photorealistic. “In the Rainforest version they’re pushed a little
further.”

“The soundtrack is very ambient… And you’ll be
able to download the music tracks from our Web site. The game will reward
players with MP3 versions of the soundtrack.”

They’ll be free, of course. Sarrazin believes the
download code will come in the game’s manual.

Finally he wanted us to know that, unlike most
third-party games, Nintendo is backing Game Factory on Zenses. “It makes a lot
of sense for them to support us because we’re in line with the direction they’re
taking this year with the DS and Wii, reaching out to female and casual gamers.
Back in March or April, Nintendo had a media summit and presented their lineup
of Wii and DS titles. They handpicked a few third-party titles to have on
display and Zenses was one of them. They’ve been including us in a lot of their
marketing opportunities.”

Zenses Ocean

Rubik’s World (Wii and DS)

From the developer of Worms: Open Warfare 2 for
Nintendo DS, Rubik’s World is partially what you’d expect – a virtual version of
Rubik’s Cube. But that isn’t all there is to it.

“We really wanted to surprise the gamer,”
Sarrazin boasts. “We really wanted to deliver a great Rubik’s experience. We’ve
invented some very unique and original puzzle games that are very addictive but
still relevant to the universe of Rubik’s Cube where all the values and the
mechanics of Rubik’s are present. The developer created an abstract world of
those cubes called Cubies [small cube creatures]. Each version, one for DS and
one for Wii, has a set of eight different puzzle games where you basically have
to solve puzzles by moving and manipulating the Cubies in different ways. Two of
them will be similar in both versions, and one of them is based on the original
Rubik’s Cube.

Rubik's World

“One of the puzzle games, the AI will come up
with different types of patterns on one side of the cube. The player will have
to re-create that pattern. Let’s say one row is going to be red, one row is
going to be yellow, and one row is going to be blue. You basically have to
manipulate the cube so that when the time runs out three rows are lined up on
one side of the cube.

“On the Wii, you are using both the Nunchuk and
remote. The Nunchuk controls the camera, so you can achieve any type of angle
you want to view the cube. To manipulate the cube, think about cube the way it
is. There are only two movements in adjusting the cube. So, what you do is, you
point the Wii remote at one of the sides, one of the rows, and if you look at
one side of the cube… Basically you have three rows, 3x3. So you can move six
different rows. One, two or three vertically or one, two or three horizontally.
So what you do is, you point with the remote and push the A button and move your
wrist – horizontally for the right or left, or vertically for up or down.

“On the DS, everything is controlled with the
stylus. You point the stylus at various areas on screen on the Rubik’s Cube. And
you can basically turn it around by circling the Cubie around the Rubik’s. You
touch one of the rows and basically slide the stylus down and the row will
slide. If you slide the stylus on the right, the right row will slide, and so
on.”

Among the different game types is a demolition
challenge where players compete to destroy a tower. Sarrazin explains: “Imagine
a platform with four different towers. Each tower is a formation of Cubies. And
each one of those towers is a different color. Let’s say we have four different
players. This all relies on real physics. Basically, the aim of the game is to
demolish those constructions of Cubies. We are launching at those Cubies other
Cubies. We can control the speed of the Cubie at which we’re launching, and we
can control the angle at which they’re being launched. The aim of the game is to
demolish those towers. The first player who demolishes a tower first wins the
game.”

“That,” he reaffirms, “is just one little aspect
of Rubik’s World.”

One other aspect, shared on the DS and Wii
versions, is a music sequencer. “The music sequencer will let players create
their own tracks in the game. You will have a selection of different
instruments. There will be a simplified version of a music editor where you’ll
be able to mix different sounds – drums, horns and so on, and that track will be
used throughout the game when you’re solving a puzzle.”

Build-a-Bear Workshop: A Friend Fur All
Seasons (Wii)

Damien Sarrazin: “It’s a party game – a very cute
game. We’ve got 20 different mini-games, very comparable to what Wii Sports
provides, or Carnival Games. The DS version we launched in November last year
was very successful. We’ve taken that experience on the DS and made it available
to the whole family. It’s not just for the kids but for the whole family to
enjoy together.

Build-A-Bear Workshop: A Friend
Fur All Seasons

“There are two modes: a single-player mode which
is an Adventure mode, and a multiplayer mode. Where we may surprise people is
that they may expect a Wii game where we’re focusing on the aspect of creating
the historic experience of Build-a-Bear. That’s not what we’re doing. There is a
character customization interface where you can select the gender and
accessories of the bear. But the whole aspect of giving life to the bear as you
do in the store doesn’t happen anymore.

“You start the game by selecting one of eight
characters, already made. In the Adventure mode, the player is heads to four
different islands that are based on the different seasons. In each island, it’s
a free-roaming environment where the player can explore and interact with the
environment and unlock mini-games as you go through the island. The island has
between four and five different mini-games. The story is about the bear
traveling from one island to another on a ship to reach the party that’s
happening on the last island. You want to go to the party, but in order to do
that you have to explore all four islands.

“Each time you play mini-games, you unlock it and
it becomes available in multiplayer mode. Also each time you play it you collect
medals. The medals enable you to spend money at the Build-a-Bear store and buy
more accessories, allowing you to change the look of your bear.

“One thing that’s fun to do, when you’re on the
winter island you’ll wear a winter outfit; when you’re on the summer island
you’ll wear a summer outfit.”

Mini-games include (but are not limited to)
versions of tetherball, tennis, a ladybug race, snowball tossing, an ice skating
race, Frisbee and ring tossing, and one called Picnic Attack where you have to
keep the ants from eating your cake.

Bratz Kidz Slumber Party (Wii and DS) and
Bratz Ponyz 2 (DS)

If you have a little girl to shop for this
Christmas, she might be interested in these new Bratz games. Sarrazin comments:
“Bratz Kidz Slumber Party is a collection of mini-games with heavy
customization. You can also create your own accessories, fashion items, etc.
It’s a very straightforward party game. Some of the games will offer wireless
multiplayer on the DS. On the Wii there’s a paparazzi contest – kind of a
hide-and-seek game where you have to take pictures. They’re hiding, and you have
to take pictures as they appear. There’s also, on the DS version, an interface
where you have to put makeup on your character.

Bratz Kidz Slumber Party (Wii
version)

“There are a lot of Bratz brands out there. We
did Bratz Ponyz last year, and we’re doing it again with the launch of Bratz
Ponyz 2. It’s very cute as far as art direction and graphic style. It’s a little
toned down compared to the other Bratz because it’s for younger kids.”